In the Shadows
by lia-finn
Summary: Sequel to When You Sleep, Dream of Me. Still in the line of the dream and reality, he finally understands the truth. JSR


Title: In the Shadows  
  
Author: Lia  
  
Rating: PG-13  
  
Classification: R, A  
  
Pairing: Jack/Sam  
  
Spoilers: None  
  
Summary: Sequel to When You Sleep, Dream of Me. Still in the line of the dream and reality, he finally understands the truth.  
  
Disclaimers: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement is intended.  
  
Author´s Note: English is not my first language, and even Pat did the beta (she´s the best!), there could be grammar mistakes. Title stolen from The Rasmus CD, gotta love that band! Thank you so much all who sent feeback, you inspired me to write this one, cause normally I don´t do sequels.  
  
Lizzie; only a little behind from the deadline you gave me. Threats worked, but you can try bribery next time :)  
  
And GateSeeker2; I swear I started this before I read your suggestions for the sequel :) Makes me wonder...  
  
And everybody else, thanks again. Now enjoy this story, and send more feedback!  
  
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He was dying when they found him. His mind already given up, his body slowly following. The sounds of his rescuers were silence to him, his open eyes no longer reacting to the bright penlight. The fingers touching his neck, trying to find the beating pulse found nothing. He was dying, and deep inside, he felt serene.  
  
The electricity rushing through his body brought back the pain and he gasped for air. A mask was placed on his face, helping him to breath. Soft words encouraged him to open his eyes, and he felt the gentle fingers caressing his forehead, and the touch felt good. Yet it was hurting him.  
  
"Sam." The word came out as a harsh whisper from his dry lips.  
  
"It´s okay." The voice was soft, familiar, but not hers. "Just lay still."  
  
And he had no choice but to obey, the needle stung into his arm and he could almost feel the pain medication coursing through his system, and he gave up to the painless sleep.  
  
-----------  
  
He heard laughter behind him. He felt the warmth of the sun on his face and he let his eyes fell close behind his sunglasses.  
  
"Daddy!" Sophie screamed in delight. "Daddy look!"  
  
Slowly he turned around, hands deep in his pockets, shirt softly flapping around him in the warm summer wind.  
  
"Daddy, look!"  
  
He waived his hand to let her know he was watching as he walked closer, his eyes locked with the woman standing next to the swings.  
  
"You´re late." She said softly and leaned to kiss him.  
  
"I´m sorry."  
  
"It´s okay." She smiled. "It´s just that, after... you know, I get worried more easily."  
  
He nodded, understanding.  
  
He stared at his daughter swinging. Her long curls falling down on her back, her blue eyes clear as the sky above. She giggled, and she turned to look at her father, to make sure he was watching as she reached higher and higher.  
  
The familiar touch of his wife made him smile. She wrapped her arms around him, leaning against his back, the soft sigh escaping from her lips. He covered her hands with his own.  
  
"What?" He asked softly.  
  
"I´m just happy to have you back. I missed you so much." She whispered.  
  
He turned around, and she placed her head under his chin, and he felt her inhaling deeply, her arms tightening around his waist. "I missed you so much." She repeated.  
  
"Sam." He breathed out her name, like he had done so many times before when he had wanted to assure her.  
  
She looked up to him, her eyes bright with the tears she was not willing to shed, not anymore. Her fingers trailed the line of his face, caressed the rough, unshaved skin, and finally ending up on his lips.  
  
"Don´t say it. Don´t tell me that I shouldn´t worry. Cause I always will."  
  
"I wasn´t going to say that." He said softly. "I was actually going to suggest we could go back and... you know, I´ve missed you." His arms pulled her closer and he nuzzled against her neck, and she burst into laughter.  
  
"Jack." Her voice was soft, loving.  
  
"Mommy, daddy, look!"  
  
They didn´t react fast enough as the little girl let go of the swing to wave at her parents. She hit the ground before he reached her.  
  
-----------  
  
He lay on the gurneys, listening the familiar sounds as the gate was dialled. The pain rushed through his body, involuntary cries of agony escaping his lips. He felt that comforting touch on his forehead again, the soft words telling him they were on their way home.  
  
"Sam." He whispered, closing his eyes as the ripping pain in his throat made him want to cry.  
  
"No, colonel, it´s Janet." The doctor pushed the needle in his IV line and released the pain medication so it could reach his system. "Don´t speak. We´re home soon." She spoke softly, her hand caressing his face, careful of the bruises and cuts. "God, we almost gave up on you." Her whisper didn´t reach the ears of the colonel as he drifted into the painless sleep.  
  
He woke up gasping for air, the nightmare still vivid in his mind. He felt a hand touching his feverish face, soft words asking him to open his eyes, and he found himself obeying, feeling safe when she was close.  
  
"Sam." He asked her again, and Janet Frasier smiled.  
  
"No, colonel, still me. Sorry."  
  
He nodded and let his eyes fell close again.  
  
"No, colonel, keep your eyes open." The doctor´s voice was soft, gentle, but firm. "I need you to stay awake for me."  
  
"Sam." His voice was rough, and he licked his dry lips. "I need her." He whispered, ignoring the burning pain in his still sore throat.  
  
"All right, colonel." Janet said quietly.  
  
He tried to force himself to keep his eyes open, but he lost the battle and allowed sleep to wash over him. And the dreams came again.  
  
-----------  
  
Sophie O´Neill sat on the kitchen counter, tears dried on her cheeks, the brave look on her face as her mother cleaned the cuts on her knees.  
  
"Ow." She let out a whisper, but held back the tears.  
  
"I´m sorry sweetie." Sam said softly and leaned to kiss next to the band aided cuts. "Does it still hurt?"  
  
Sophie shook her head. "No. Yes." She admitted quietly.  
  
"Okay." Sam glanced up, sharing a soft smile with her husband before standing up to lift the little girl down from the counter. "It´s a nap time, come on."  
  
Jack scooped his daughter into his arms and carried her upstairs into her bedroom and lay down with her on her bed, pulling the pink blanket over her. Sam watched them from the doorway, listening as he told her a story, making her giggle. They lay on their sides facing each other, Sophie´s little fingers studying her father´s face before she couldn´t keep her eyes open any longer and she finally fell asleep.  
  
He followed his wife into their bedroom and pushed the door close behind him. She turned to look at him, and he walked to her, capturing her face between his hands and kissed her, and he felt her smiling against his lips, melt in his arms, and he knew he couldn´t live without her. She was everything to him.  
  
She lay down on the bed, and he followed her, leaning to kiss her, a hand caressing the silky skin of her thigh, and she sighed with happiness.  
  
His lips travelled along her body, caressing, nibbling, loving her like he knew she wanted to be loved. And by him only. He kissed her on the lips again, and she felt the wave of pleasure wash over her as he touched her where she ached the most, and her back arched, the cries of his name leaving her lips.  
  
And when he finally entered her, it felt like heaven, and she pulled him down for a kiss, and never wanted to let go. Never. He brought her over the edge over and over again before finally collapsing onto her himself, feeling sated, happy, alive. He reached to pull a blanket to cover their naked bodies, sighing as she placed her head against his chest. And the sleep came to them.  
  
The soft sounds coming from the kitchen pulled Sam O´Neill from the dreamland and she could not held back a smile as she listened the father and the daughter.  
  
Sophie stood on the chair next to her father, watching as he prepared late lunch. She tilted her head on the side, her light brown curls falling on her shoulder as she looked up to him and offered to help. And he smiled down at her, nodding his head, and the little girl felt happy, excited.  
  
He carried the tray upstairs, Sophie jumping up the stairs in front of him. Sam lay on the bed reading, the warm breeze coming from the open window making the curtains sway. She placed her book on the nightstand and smiled at them.  
  
"Wow, you´ve been busy."  
  
Jack placed the tray on the bed and leaned down to kiss her. The ringing phone made them sigh.  
  
"I´ll be right back." He promised.  
  
"Remember you´re still on leave." She called after him before turning her attention to the lunch. "Looks good, Soph."  
  
"I helped." The little girl nodded proudly.  
  
-----------  
  
"Jack." It was her voice, he knew that. He felt her close to him and forced his eyes open.  
  
She was leaning down to him, her hand caressing his face, her eyes bright with tears that started to trail down on her cheeks.  
  
"Sam." He reached for her hand.  
  
"God." She chocked out. "I thought I lost you."  
  
He smiled tiredly. "Not so easily."  
  
She smiled through her tears, leaning to kiss his forehead. "You should rest."  
  
"No."  
  
"I´ll be right here." She promised softly.  
  
"Sophie?" He asked her tiredly. "Where is she?"  
  
She looked at him softly. "Who´s Sophie?"  
  
"Our daughter."  
  
The look on her face told him more than her words. "We don´t have a daughter, sir, we´re not even..." She trailed off, embarrassed, sad.  
  
He closed his eyes, and he felt his heart aching. And suddenly he understood. Dreams, only dreams. A way to survive. He had dreamt her into his life, dreamt Sam to be his wife. Dreams that had kept him alive, kept him sane. Only dreams.  
  
He gave up to the pain medication that made him tired, and he fell asleep again.  
  
Sam looked at him softly, fresh tears burning in her eyes. "Oh Jack."  
  
-----------  
  
"Hey Danny." He smiled tiredly.  
  
"Hey Jack." Daniel smiled back. "How you doing?"  
  
"Better. The stuff doc´s giving me is great."  
  
"Good."  
  
The silence fell between the two men.  
  
"So..?" Jack asked quietly.  
  
"You were gone for four months, Jack. Can you remember anything?"  
  
He shook his head. "Only pain."  
  
"You should have seen her." Daniel said after along moment of silence. "She never gave up on you, you know. She wanted to go back for you, we all did. But she was wounded. It was a mission gone wrong, we were ambushed."  
  
"I remember pushing her toward the gate. Guess I didn´t make it."  
  
"No, you didn´t. You were hit, you fell on the ground. We left you behind. I made the decision to leave you."  
  
Jack glanced at the younger man. "It´s not your fault, Daniel."  
  
"She hated me for that." Daniel said quietly. "She hated Teal´c for pushing her through the gate. She hated the general for not letting her go back."  
  
"I´m back now."  
  
"Hey there." Her voice was so familiar to him. "Can I come in?"  
  
"Sure, I was just leaving." Daniel smiled. "I´ll keep Janet busy so you can have some time alone with him." He leaned to whisper to her on his way out.  
  
"I bet." She grinned, making him blush a little. "Thanks Danny."  
  
She turned to look at him, a smile disappearing from her face as she saw the beaten body. "Are you in pain?" She asked stupidly. "I´m sorry."  
  
"It´s not that bad." He lied, knowing she could tell. "Really."  
  
"Sir, I was so..." She started, not really knowing what to tell him. "We were all worried. I´m glad you´re back."  
  
"Me too." His smile died on his lips, the muscles on his face twisting with pain.  
  
"Sir, what´s wrong? Jack? Janet! Janet!"  
  
"Hurts. God." He managed to say before his eyes fell close, his body convulsing violently, and she could do nothing but watch, helplessly, terrified.  
  
"No. no. no. no. Please don´t let him die." She prayed to the god she was not sure was there. "Please."  
  
She was gently pushed back, the curtain pulled between her and the man she would never stop loving.  
  
"Stay with me, colonel." She heard Janet´s voice. "We´re losing him." And he flat lined, and she knew she could never forget the sound of it.  
  
-----------  
  
He stood in the doorway, watching as his daughter lay on her stomach next to her mother coloring with her crayons.  
  
"Daddy, look." She held up the picture, a proud smile on her face. "It´s you."  
  
He couldn´t but chuckle at the picture that didn´t look like anything but a mix of colors against the white paper.  
  
"That´s wonderful sweetheart."  
  
She nodded and chose another crayon from the box. And as he watched her, she slowly fainted away, and he felt his heart aching for losing her. And yet he felt peace, because she would always live in his memories, and there only because she had never been real, for anyone else but him.  
  
He glanced sadly at Sam who had stopped reading. "Will I lose you too?" He asked.  
  
"Never." She shook her head and reached for him. He walked closer and sat on the side of their bed, taking her hand, playing with her fingers. "Jack, you have to go back to her, go back to me."  
  
He nodded and leaned to kiss her once more before felt her slipping away too, and he felt the bolt of electricity rushing through his body, and he knew he was where he belonged.  
  
"Sam." He whispered out, and heard Janet chuckling.  
  
"Welcome back, colonel. You gave us a real scare. And yes, she´s right here."  
  
And he felt her hand reaching for his, and he forced his eyes open. She was crying again, and he couldn´t but wonder how much she had been doing that since he had been captured. He lifted his hand to brush away her tears, and she smiled at him, leaning against his touch.  
  
"You have to stop doing this." She whispered.  
  
"Doing what?" He asked tiredly.  
  
"Scaring me like this."  
  
He smiled.  
  
"Alright you two." Janet said softly. "I need to exam him now, Sam." She raised her hand up to stop her objections. "I´ll give him back to you as soon as I´m done. I promise."  
  
Sam left his side resultantly, glaring at her best friend on her way. "Come back in twenty minutes and he´s all yours again, major." Janet smiled.  
  
And exactly twenty minutes later she was back again. He was sleeping, his mind offering his body time to heal. She touched his face, letting her fingers feel the roughness of his beard that has grown over the months he had been away.  
  
"I love you." She whispered and leaned to touch his lips with her own.  
  
The infirmary was quiet, the few other patients occupying the beds already sleeping. She glanced around in the darkness before lying down on the bed next to him, wrapping her arm carefully around his beaten body. She knew she couldn´t stay there, but she wanted to feel him close. Only few minutes she though.  
  
And before the sun rose the next morning, Janet Frasier stood in the doorway and watched the pair sleeping. She had not the heart to wake her. She pulled the door closed, and let them sleep. Together.  
  
The End


End file.
